Cure
by Chocolate Covered Demon
Summary: Zel's bored. Then Xelloss shows up offering to help him find his cure. Soon Xelloss reveals romantic intentions. But what's he really planning...?


Zelgadiss was bored. He'd been wandering around the Outer World alone for way too long, and he'd found absolutely nothing of interest. Of course, he probably should have expected that; the outer world was, after all, a world almost entirely without magic. If his body had been changed by magic, only magic would change it back. He sighed, sitting down in a patch of grass by the side of the road and taking a drink. Amelia's magic bracelet made a thumping noise against the half-empty canteen, and Zelgadiss smiled. He'd been thinking about_ them_ a lot recently... he really should go back to Lina's world, the world that used to be inside the barrier. Lina and the others would probably be hanging around there these days. Maybe he'd run into some of them in a tavern somewhere.

He lay back and looked up the sky, daydreaming of the times they'd spent together. He closed his eyes.

"Hmm?" A voice. A familiar voice. Wait, no... "Well, what do we have here?" Zelgadiss winced as he heard _that_ voice. It couldn't be... could it? Surely it was only his imagination. He opened one eye, and sure enough... there was Xelloss, smiling down at him, just an inch too close to his face. Zelgadiss sighed. "Not happy to see me?" Xelloss pouted.

Zelgadiss sat up, and found himself even closer to the bastard. He pushed Xelloss' face away from him, a little too hard. Xelloss fell over. "No," he said, "I was just hoping you were someone else. What do _you_ want?" He eyed the priest carefully. If Xelloss was around, then there was trouble. Which would actually almost be a nice change from the dullness of the past year or so... except for the fact that Lina wasn't around. And the only time Xelloss had bothered with Zelgadiss when Lina wasn't around, things hadn't turned out very well... that had been before Lina had met Xelloss herself. Zelgadiss had been royally screwed over—of course, that was pretty normal when it had anything to do with Xelloss.

"Oh, not much..." Xelloss shrugged. Zelgadiss figured it was a lie. "Just in the area."

"Uh-huh."

"No, really!" Xelloss insisted. "Had something to do nearby, and happened to find you here. Quite a coincidence."

"Right. Xelloss, it's _never_ a coincidence with you."

Xelloss just shrugged it off. Typical. He had the nerve to sit down next to Zelgadiss, and asked, "So. What have you been up to, Zelgadiss-san?"

Why even bother to fight it? "Nothing of interest. Just looking for my cure, as usual."

"Hah!" Xelloss chuckled a little. "You'd never find anything like that out _here_. You can't be serious?"

Zel's face twisted a little in annoyance. "You could have told me that a year ago, you know."

"Oh, I would have!" Xelloss said. "But you didn't ask."

"Gah!" Zelgadiss stood and dusted himself off. "Look. If you don't want anything—"

"Not in particular, no," Xelloss said, standing as well.

"Then I'll be going," Zelgadiss began to walk away, back the way he'd come. He'd decided it was time to start the long trail back. Xelloss followed. Zelgadiss turned to look at him. "What?"

"Well," Xelloss said, "I thought you might enjoy some company. You seemed bored."

Xelloss was right there... but could he bear talking with the Trickster Priest for a long period of time? Probably not. Still, it wasn't as if he'd be able to stop him from following if he wanted to follow. "Fine."

What followed was actually a long period of silence, which Zelgadiss greatly appreciated. Quiet companionship was something he enjoyed, and something he didn't get very often. After a few hours, though, Xelloss decided to break the silence, but thankfully not in his normal, annoying manner. "You know," he said, "Now would probably be a good time to ask me questions about magic and such, as I'm not really busy doing anything..."

Zelgadiss' eyes bugged out of his head. "What?" he said. "Are you _volunteering_ secrets?"

"Well, no, not secrets," Xelloss said. "Anything I feel it is safe to tell you about magic. I don't see why not."

"Hm..." That sounded pretty suspicious to Zelgadiss, but if he could get some knowledge about his cure, he was more than up for it. "All right. How about information about my cure?"

"Ah... I figured you'd ask that," Xelloss said. Well of course I would, dimwit, Zelgadiss wanted to reply, but he kept silent—he _really_ wanted to hear anything Xelloss was willing to tell him. "Well. Let me see... what you're looking for is a spell to undo the process of creating a chimera. A complex chimera, at that. One that combines both earthly species and a lesser mazoku, a brau demon."

Zelgadiss stopped walking to glare at the Mazoku, and Xelloss stopped as well."I know that much, Xelloss," Zelgadiss growled. "If that's all—"

"So what we need is something to undo a merging spell. That's incredibly difficult. You see, your very being has been mixed together with two other beings. Technically, Zelgadiss... _you_ aren't even completely human anymore. Your very soul has been mixed with a brau demon soul. Golems don't have souls, but... you get the picture."

Zelgadiss' annoyed expression had slowly fallen during Xelloss' speech. "Wait... what you're saying is..."

"If you _were_ to somehow find a way to unmix your human and demon elements, you wouldn't be _you_ anymore. That human that lived before is long gone, Zelgadiss-san."

That was too much for Zelgadiss to bear. He looked away, and tried to brush it off. "That's not true," he said. "I am who I _define_ myself to be, Xelloss. And I'm—"

"Just your human part. Very well," Xelloss said. He actually looked kind of pained when he said that. "All right, then, Zelgadiss-san. If you were to undo the original spell... you could either try and find the original spell and find a way to undo it, or you'd find something that separates on an astral level. Let me show you..." He walked to the side of the road and sat down on the grass. Zelgadiss followed, still feeling a little shaken. Out of some pocket of his cloak, Xelloss removed a glass jar. In it was water, something black, and sand. He shook it up so that everything mixed together.

"Watch this," Xelloss instructed Zelgadiss, looking him straight in the eye. "In this glass jar, I have sand, iron filings, and water. You _can_ separate these." Xelloss produced a filter from his cloak, and put it on top of the jar. He'd definitely come prepared, Zelgadiss thought. He must have planned all of this. Xelloss tipped the jar over, and the water came pouring out into the ground, while the sand and iron filings stayed inside. "That's the easy part. Are you familiar with magnetics, Zelgadiss-san?" Zelgadiss nodded. "Good. Now, if you take a magnet..." Xelloss demonstrated. He opened the jar and put a magnet inside. The iron shavings leaped up towards the magnet, and Xelloss dropped them on the ground. "Then, all that would be left would be the human part, Zelgadiss-san." He held the glass with the sand in it up in front of Zelgadiss.

"Right..." Zelgadiss said. "I don't really get how this helps, though..."

"Simple," Xelloss explained. "Your three different parts can be separated if we use the right tools. Maybe something that pulls or strains or whatever."

"Can it be done?" Zelgadiss asked.

"Perhaps," Xelloss said. "I can help you with some of it, at least. But then the question becomes... what to do with the leftovers." He gestured at the place where the iron and water had mixed with the ground.

"Who cares," Zelgadiss said, shrugging. "As long as I'm human again..."

Xelloss dumped the sand out and put the jar away somewhere in his cloak.

"Then nothing else matters," Zelgadiss finished.

"Of course, Zelgadiss-san. But you know, sand in itself is rather boring," Xelloss pointed out.

Zelgadiss sighed. "I don't _care_ if I'm boring, Xelloss. I just want to be human again. Boring is better than _this_." He pointed at a rock on his face.

"Fine, fine," Xelloss said. "I'll see what I can do. I'll meet you in the next town over—I believe it's called Rinus Town—when I find something." With that, he disappeared. Zelgadiss watched the place Xelloss had formerly been sitting with mild confusion. Why was Xelloss helping him with this? He must have _some_ ulterior motive. He always did. But what...?

With some difficulty, Zelgadiss had managed to procure a room in the seediest inn of the nearest town. It had taken a little coercion and more than a little gold, but he'd done it. Now he just had to wait. But would Xelloss really appear, he wondered? He wasn't sure. Probably... As the days passed, he began to wonder. Should he just leave? Well, if Xelloss really was looking for Zelgadiss's cure for him, then it would probably take some time. So he waited.

About a week later, Zelgadiss was looking outside of the inn window when he felt a warm breath on the back of his neck. He drew his sword, turned, and stepped back towards the window in one swift motion, only to find Xelloss smiling down at the tip of his sword. Even with the step Zelgadiss had taken backwards, Xelloss was still way too close. "Surely you guessed it was me, Zelgadiss-san?"

"Yeah, I did," Zelgadiss said with a smirk, sheathing his sword. "Find anything?"

"Yes, actually," Xelloss said, and Zelgadiss's eyes widened. Xelloss produced a bottle from his satchel. Inside, there was a purplish liquid. Zelgadiss could feel magic rolling off of it. Was this his cure? "This here is a liquid that destroys golems, to put it simply. You just pour it over the golem. Golems only exist through magic, after all. Destroy the magic that holds them together..." He held it out, and Zelgadiss reached for it, but then Xelloss pulled his hand back. "Understand what you'd be doing, Zelgadiss-san. Your ability to cast shamanic spells may decrease, and you would lose that natural armor of yours. But like I said, the golem doesn't contribute anything to your _soul_, so I suppose it's all right with me."

"Whatever," Zelgadiss said, grinning, snatching the bottle out of Xelloss's hand. "Will it hurt?"

"No," Xelloss shrugged, sitting down on the creaky bed to watch. "Golems can't feel pain. I can't guarantee it will be safe, though..."

Zelgadiss wasn't listening anymore. He stepped into the middle of the room and poured the liquid over his head. The purple liquid shimmered a little as it took on a life of its own: it covered Zelgadiss' entire body. Then, for a moment, Zelgadiss could only see white. When that cleared, he looked down. He was standing in a pile of mud—the remains of the golem, he surmised. He looked at his hands. They were grayish, but they were soft and nonabrasive. His hair was soft. His face was soft. His ears were still pointy, but that must have been from the brau demon. "Hah!" He practically giggled. "Haha!" He went over to the dusty, slightly cracked mirror in the corner. His shape was the same, but he was grayish, soft, and his hair was black. "Yes!" he said. "Now all that's left is the demon part, and I'll be free of this cursed body!"

Xelloss smiled a little. "Well, I'm glad you're happy," he said. "But you know, the demon part will be much more difficult to deal with..."

"Never mind that now!" Zelgadiss said, grinning at Xelloss. "Look at this! I'm smooth and soft!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you won't have _any_ trouble with the ladies now," Xelloss said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, which Zelgadiss didn't quite understand.

"Well... I guess I could just tell people I'm half elf of some kind." Zelgadiss brushed off Xelloss' strange comment and touched the tips of his ears again. "I don't think they'd believe me if I said I was half-dragon or anything."

"Indeed," Xelloss said, looking a little disinterested. But he was smirking at Zelgadiss. Why?

"So, Xelloss..." Zelgadiss said, his grin changing to a bit of a sly smirk and his eyes narrowing a little, "What do you get out of this?"

"Oh, not much," Xelloss shrugged.

Zelgadiss crossed his arms and leaned over Xelloss. "Bullshit. What do you get out of it?"

"Oh, very well," Xelloss smirked and opened one eye as he looked up at Zelgadiss. "I get the knowledge that if I need to at some point in the future, I can more easily _dispose_ of you." Xelloss stood, his eyes open and menacing, and Zelgadiss took an involuntary step backwards.

"You don't mean—"

"In the _future_," Xelloss winked, smiling good-naturedly. "If I need to do so. And what are the chances of that, hm, Zelgadiss-san?"

"I don't know," Zelgadiss growled. "But if they were low, you wouldn't have bothered."

"And if they were high," Xelloss said, grinning, "Would I have told you?"

"I'm not sure...maybe."

Xelloss patted Zelgadiss on the shoulder. "Enough of that. Let's go party, shall we? You're more likely to pick up chicks, now. And more likely to get drunk—although I'm sure you'll still have a rather high tolerance, due to your brau demon half."

Zelgadiss winced. "Half..."

"Mmhmm. Not that it makes much of a difference, does it? You're also half human, Zelgadiss-san," Xelloss pointed out, walking down the stairs. Zelgadiss followed, allowing an excited grin of anticipation to pass across his face. Maybe he'd actually get laid.

The tavern was raucous and noisy. Which would normally piss Zelgadiss off, but for once... he enjoyed it. He was celebrating his new body, and a few loose women were eager to celebrate it with him, commenting on his "exoticness." Although he did enjoy some fooling around in the corners, no one seemed to want to go home with him. Probably had something to do with the inn he was staying at, Zelgadiss decided. Or maybe those weird glares Xelloss was giving everyone. Zelgadiss was curious about those, but he was having way too much fun to care. He hadn't been able to get drunk, just a little buzzed, but he hadn't exactly been trying. Best to take it slow, he decided.

At around two AM, most of the customers had left, leaving Zelgadiss and Xelloss alone to talk amongst themselves. "Damn, that was fun," Zelgadiss said, sipping his ale. He wasn't all that tired yet—probably because of the brau demon again, he decided.

"Indeed," Xelloss nodded. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself quite a bit."

"And you?" Zelgadiss asked. "You pretty much just sat around the whole time watching. But then, that's what you always do, isn't it."

"I suppose, yes," Xelloss agreed. "I enjoy watching."

"Uh huh. You also enjoy _glaring_, apparently. You practically chased off every girl that _might _have been _considering_ going back to my room with me."

"Oh, did I?" Xelloss smirked. "My bad."

"Yeah, shut up," Zelgadiss said. He was buzzed and happy, and he wasn't going to just let this drop. "Why? You looked like you wanted to splatter them across the floor."

"Oh, I don't know," Xelloss shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted to go home with you myself."

Zelgadiss spewed his sip of ale across the table. And coughed. "W-what?"

Xelloss wiped his face off with a handkerchief, rather delicately, then he smirked and opened his eyes to look at Zelgadiss. "You heard me. What do you say, Zelgadiss-san? Why don't we both try out that body of yours?"

Zelgadiss scowled. "Are you playing with me, Xelloss?" he hissed. Xelloss stood and walked over to Zelgadiss.

"Do I sound like I'm joking, Zelgadiss-san?" Xelloss lifted an eyebrow.

Zelgadiss set his ale down, pushed his chair back, and stood up. "I don't get you, Xelloss. I guess that's probably how you want it. But don't fool around about things like that, Xelloss. I know Mazoku don't have sex. And I don't see why _you_ of all Mazoku would be the least bit interested."

Xelloss smirked. "What makes you think Mazoku don't have sex, Zelgadiss-san? Of course, if you're not interested... I completely understand. You have seemed to show a little bit of a preference towards women in the past."

"A _little bit_ of a preference? Of course I'm interested in women, Xelloss. And you haven't convinced me _you're_ serious, either. Maybe you're just doing this to get under my skin, or maybe you're just going to try and manipulate me into—"

Xelloss grabbed the back of Zelgadiss' now fluffy head, and pulled Zelgadiss towards him. He kissed him, and held Zelgadiss' head in place with his hand. Zelgadiss resisted at first, but then began to give in. He hadn't had much experience in kissing, though, Xelloss noted. He eventually let Zelgadiss go, and said, "Actually, I had another reason for helping you with your cure...I was hoping it would eventually get you to fall for me, Zelgadiss-san."

"Well... that's kind of a relief, actually," Zelgadiss said, blushing and flustered. "But... uh... I'm not sure if we can just..."

"Have sex on the first date?" Xelloss grinned. "I understand completely."

"And...um... I really do like girls, Xelloss," Zelgadiss pointed out.

"Sure you do," Xelloss chuckled a little, rubbing against Zelgadiss' hips with his own, finding a little bulge there. Zelgadiss gasped. "Then you can just pretend I'm a girl, if you want. In any case... I assume you're still going to be looking for your cure?" Zelgadiss nodded. "I guess I have a job to do, then. Don't stray too far!" And with that, Xelloss was gone.

Zelgadiss sat back down in his chair with a flump. This was getting complicated.

Zelgadiss moved into another inn with ease. Innkeepers were still a little suspicious of him, but with enough gold, they bought the "half-elf" story eventually. So Zelgadiss settled in, prepared to wait around for another week or so. He felt kind of silly just sitting around, so for the first day, he spent most of the day in the library. Sadly, there wasn't much of interest there; some of the scientific books were a little interesting, but there were of course no books of magic. So he got himself a job at the inn he was staying at, waiting tables. Not exactly his ideal job, but the ladies seemed to like him, and he began to open up a little to the customers. Not needing to hide anymore, he found himself beginning to learn social skills, just a little.

Zelgadiss didn't have to wait long. Within five days, Xelloss appeared as a customer at the inn restaurant. Zelgadiss practically ran over to the table. "Hello, Zelgadiss-san," Xelloss said, smiling up at him. "Imagine you, waiting tables. I would never have guessed that. So tell me, when do you get off of work?"

"In three hours," Zelgadiss informed him. "I've got tomorrow off, too, so..."

Xelloss grinned. "We can stay out as late as we want? Perfect. See you then." And with that, Xelloss disappeared. Weird, Zelgadiss thought. Dating a demon. Still, he found that those three hours were some of the longest of his life.

And three hours later, there was Xelloss, standing outside waiting. With a_carriage_, no less. "So, where would you like to go, Zelgadiss-san?" Xelloss asked.

Zelgadiss smirked. "Come on, Xelloss. If you're going to date me, you can't call me '_-san_.'"

"How about Zel-kun?" Xelloss suggested. Zelgadiss shivered a little.

"Sure..." he said.

"So then, Zel-kun," Xelloss said, sidling up to him and whispering in his ear, "Where would you like to go?"

Zelgadiss blushed, and shrugged. "Uh... I don't know."

"My choice?" Xelloss asked. "Very well then. I've found a rather nice restaurant across town. Shall we go?" He opened the door of the carriage, bowed, and gestured for Zelgadiss to step inside.

"Uh... sure..." Zelgadiss stepped inside. He wasn't feeling particularly vocal.

On the trip to the restaurant, Xelloss seemed to notice Zelgadiss' uneasiness, and broke the tension with a few dirty tales. Zelgadiss laughed, and relaxed a little. It's just a date, he thought. And it's just Xelloss. Why was he so nervous?

They found a table, and sat down. It was a little fancy, but Xelloss was wearing his normal outfit, so Zelgadiss didn't feel too out of place. After ordering, Xelloss began conversation. "So tell me Zelgadiss," Xelloss said, probably deciding Zelgadiss was relaxed enough, "What have you been doing in this quiet town since I left? Other than working, I mean?"

Zelgadiss shrugged. "Not much. The library here is pretty much useless. I do have some cash—I just took that job out of boredom."

"I see," Xelloss said. "Why work as a _waiter_, of all things?

He shrugged again. "I dunno. I didn't think I'd like it, but well... I kind of like the attention. It's not a very upscale place, so girls, well... flirt with me a lot. It's nice."

Xelloss smirked. "I see. Weren't prepared for the attention your soft, _exotic_ body would get you?"

Zelgadiss nodded. "Yeah. I had no idea so many people liked elves."

Xelloss laughed. "You have no idea," he said. "Does that mean you plan on staying as you are?"

Zelgadiss shook his head. "No, definitely not. I still want to be human, Xelloss. That hasn't changed."

Xelloss nodded solemnly. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"About my soul being part demon? Not really. It doesn't change much," Zelgadiss shrugged.

"I see." He looked a bit disappointed.

"Why does it matter?" Zelgadiss asked. "Surely you can't want—" Zelgadiss paused, and frowned. "Is that it? Do you want me _because_ I'm a demon?"

"Well, no," Xelloss said, shaking his head. "Not exactly. I've known plenty of demons, Zel-kun." He smiled. "I just want _you_. And part of you is demon. Part of you was golem, too, but I guess that couldn't be helped."

"I see." Zelgadiss wasn't really sure what to think about that. "So, what if I _did_ become fully human?"

Xelloss smirked. "Do you really want to know that?"

"Well, yes. Would you still be interested?"

"Hm..." Xelloss leaned back and thought about that. "Well, that's a good question. Your demon part would probably die quickly without help, as it is not used to existing outside of your body, so all that would be left is your human part. So would I still be interested in a human Zelgadiss?" He shrugged, and opened one eye to look at Zelgadiss. "It depends on whether or not I'd fallen in love with the Zelgadiss I know now, and whether or not I could forgive him for what he did to himself."

Zelgadiss swallowed and looked away. That wasn't exactly the answer he'd been expecting. "I see. Does that mean you don't plan on helping me find the rest of my cure?" Their appetizers came, and they began to eat.

"No, I plan on helping you," Xelloss said with a nod. "I just hope that you will decide not to use it when the time comes."

"I see," Zelgadiss responded. He was quiet for a moment.

"But that's not the sort of thing that you talk about on one's first _official_ date, now, is it, Zel-kun?" Xelloss grinned. "Let's talk about something more upbeat."

"Okay... like what?" Zelgadiss asked.

"Like... well, how far do you think Gourry-san and Lina-san have gotten?" Xelloss grinned.

Zelgadiss nearly snorted wine. He was damn glad he didn't. "Hehehehehe!" he laughed. Then he cleared his throat and covered his grin with his hand. "Well. I don't know. I'm pretty damned sure they weren't fucking when I last saw them, but they seemed pretty intimate. It all depends on how dumb Gourry is, and what's been going on since I left them."

Xelloss chuckled a little himself. "Yes, Gourry certainly is _that_ dumb. But didn't he mention once he had a fiance or something?"

"Yeah," Zelgadiss nodded. "Sylphiel. Who knows. If Lina's finally decided to go for it, I'm sure she'd win out over Sylphiel. I mean, Sylphiel's pretty hot, has nice breasts, and can cook—which are apparently things Gourry likes—but Lina and Gourry have shared so many experiences... I just don't think Sylphiel stands a chance. Which is too bad, I guess. Sylphiel's nice."

"Is that so?" Xelloss asked. "Would _you_ have sex with her?"

"God, no," Zelgadiss responded. "She's too... I don't know. Annoying. Kind of like Amelia."

"So I guess you wouldn't touch Amelia either, then?" Xelloss asked.

Zelgadiss laughed. "Jealous?" he asked.

Xelloss grinned. "Should I be?"

Zelgadiss shook his head. "No. I don't see Amelia like that at all. There was this one girl I kind of liked once, and she turned out to be a _guy_. And, I know, you're a guy too, but well... hmm... how to explain it." He paused. "I know. Some traits are hotter in a girl. And I guess... some traits are hotter in a guy, too."

"So then," Xelloss surmised with one eye open, "You _do_ like guys?"

Zelgadiss sighed. "I guess. I must be bisexual... it takes a lot for me to say that, though."

Xelloss nodded. "Well, after seeing human customs, I can understand that. Homosexuals and bisexuals often aren't accepted in human society for some reason. Which is very odd to me, by the way." Their food came, and they began to eat it. After taking a bite, Xelloss said, "In Mazoku society, there's not really much of a difference between a man or a woman Mazoku."

"Huh," Zelgadiss said, sipping his wine. "How come?"

"Well," Xelloss said, "Technically, we aren't really these physical forms. We're astral forms that were broken off from our masters. It's only the physical form that has a sex."

"I see. Then how come you feel physical attraction?" Zelgadiss asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, it's more like an astral attraction," Xelloss smiled. "Your astral form is the most interesting part about you, Zel-kun." His voice dropped, and his eyes peered over at Zelgadiss. "I greatly enjoy gazing upon it... and being _inside_ of it would be delightful."

"I...see..." Zelgadiss looked away. He continued eating.

"But of course," Xelloss said, "If you're not ready for it, I can wait. I can wait quite a long time, you know, Zel-kun. And if you remain half brau demon, you'll be able to wait quite a long time, too."

"Right..." Zelgadiss replied, putting his fork and knife down. He'd finished.

"Dessert?" Xelloss asked.

"Nah, I'm pretty full," Zelgadiss said. "It was delicious, though. Um... thanks."

"My pleasure," Xelloss smiled. He called for the check, and placed the money on the table. He stood, and Zelgadiss followed.

The carriage was still waiting, to Zelgadiss' surprise. Xelloss must have paid a fortune for all of this. Well, not that a fortune really meant that much to a Mazoku. It probably didn't matter. Xelloss opened the door for Zelgadiss, and he stepped inside. Xelloss followed, after telling the driver to go to "the second location," whatever that meant. Xelloss sat down and the driver was off. Xelloss smiled at Zelgadiss, who was practically hiding on the other side of the carriage. "Come over here," he said, but it was more of a request. Zelgadiss obliged, leaving a few inches between himself and Xelloss. Xelloss put his arm around Zelgadiss. "You can lean against me, if you'd like," Xelloss suggested. Zelgadiss did so.

"Where are we going?" Zelgadiss asked.

Xelloss grinned. "It's a secret," he said, and Zelgadiss rolled his eyes.

"Right," Zelgadiss said.

"No, it's a surprise," Xelloss said, winking at him. "Don't worry. Nothing weird, I promise." Zelgadiss looked skeptical, but he sighed and relaxed against Xelloss. Xelloss played with Zelgadiss's hair a little, which Zelgadiss found he kind of liked. "Your hair is nice, like this," Xelloss said.

"Which did you like better?" Zelgadiss asked.

"I like them both," Xelloss said. "Although I am going to miss that unique texture your skin had."

"'Unique,'" Zelgadiss snorted. "Terrific."

"No, uniqueness is something I greatly appreciate, Zel-kun." It made Zelgadiss shiver a little whenever Xelloss said that. "If you weren't unique, you would just be another mortal. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Zelgadiss smirked. "No, I wouldn't."

"Aha! You admitted it," Xelloss said. "You enjoy being different."

Zelgadiss sighed. "Well, I don't want to be _average_. But I do want to be normal."

"Oh, now you're just trying to get out of it. You _know_ it's more interesting being different. Admit it."

"Fine," Zelgadiss resigned. "I do want to be different. Just not _this_ different."

"Hm," Xelloss said. "Well, that's your choice." He leaned in close and whispered in Zelgadiss's ear, "I'll get you to enjoy this body yet." Zelgadiss blushed, but didn't move away. Xelloss took that as his cue. He lifted his arm from behind Zelgadiss's back to behind Zelgadiss' head, and met Zelgadiss's lips with his own. Zelgadiss didn't resist this time. He kissed back, and when Xelloss brushed Zelgadiss's lip with his tongue, Zelgadiss opened his mouth, allowing Xelloss entry. Xelloss' tongue entered Zelgadiss's mouth, and their tongues battled for dominance. Zelgadiss moaned a little. Xelloss pushed him back against the seat, and Zelgadiss lay down with Xelloss on top of him. Xelloss left Zelgadiss' mouth, much to Zelgadiss' dismay, and moved downward. He grabbed that now-soft skin in his mouth and sucked.

"Mm..." Zelgadiss moaned. He rubbed his hands up and down the back of Xelloss' shirt, under Xelloss's cloak. That was safe. But Xelloss wasn't satisfied with that, and removed his cloak, then loosened his shirt. He placed Zelgadiss's hands underneath his shirt, and lifted Zelgadiss's shirt. Zelgadiss blushed even harder. Xelloss's head went under Zelgadiss's shirt, and he began sucking on a nipple. His left hand played with the other one. Zelgadiss noticed idly that Xelloss had removed his gloves. "Ungh..." Zelgadiss moaned louder this time, arching his back towards Xelloss. He had no idea those were that sensitive. Xelloss bit him, gently, and came back up to give Zelgadiss another French kiss, which Zelgadiss eagerly accepted. Xelloss moved down again to nip Zelgadiss' neck in four different places. Zelgadiss rubbed his hands up and down the flesh of Xelloss' back; it was so smooth. He would never guess that he wasn't human.

Then the carriage stopped, and Xelloss looked into Zelgadiss' eyes. "We're here," he said. He withdrew and put his cloak back on, leaving Zelgadiss feeling a little cold. Xelloss left the carriage, and held the door open for Zelgadiss. Zelgadiss followed, and found that they were on the side of a lake. The moon was bright and full up above, shining down. Xelloss spoke to the driver, and the driver left, leaving the two of them alone.

"So, what do you think? Pretty, isn't it?" Xelloss asked.

"Yes... very," Zelgadiss agreed. He walked over to a tree and leaned against it.

"We could go for a swim if you feel like it," Xelloss suggested. "Or not. Either's fine with me."

Zelgadiss smirked. "Nah. I'd rather just look at it." Xelloss sat next to Zelgadiss, and kissed him. He pushed Zelgadiss down to the ground. "Impatient much?" Zelgadiss asked in a husky voice.

"A little," Xelloss admitted with a little smile. "I know I said I had all the time in the world, but that's only if you stay half brau demon. It doesn't seem like you want to. Don't know how much time I have with this Zelgadiss. Besides, you don't seem all that patient either." He brushed his hand against the bulge in Zelgadiss' pants, which made him close his eyes and moan.

"X-xelloss..." Zelgadiss managed to say, "I'm not sure how far I want to go..."

Xelloss smiled. "How about we find that out when we get there?" he suggested. He unclasped Zelgadiss's cloak, and Zelgadiss, seeing how Xelloss had removed his cloak earlier, unclasped Xelloss's. It fell to the ground. Xelloss hadn't fixed his shirt from before, and Zelgadiss put his hands up the front of Xelloss' shirt. He found Xelloss' nipples and played with them, making Xelloss moan, to his satisfaction.

Xelloss kissed Zelgadiss once more, and explored Zelgadiss's mouth. Then he withdrew and removed Zelgadiss's shirt completely. "Mmm..." Xelloss murmured in admiration. It looked the same as it always had, except minus the rocks and light gray instead of blue. Zelgadiss felt a little naked, so he decided to even the score by removing Xelloss' shirt and tossing it aside. Xelloss lowered himself so that his chest and Zelgadiss's chest were touching, as well as their arousals. Xelloss grabbed Zelgadiss's hair and bit his neck, a little harder this time. Zelgadiss hissed in mild pain. That would definitely leave a mark, he knew.

Xelloss rubbed his arousal against Zelgadiss', and Zelgadiss moaned. Enough. He worked on Xelloss' sash and eventually managed to get rid of it, then pulled Xelloss' pants down. He didn't wear underwear, of course, but he wasn't really expecting that. There, in front of his face, was Xelloss's erect penis. Zelgadiss swallowed his pride and took Xelloss into his mouth.

Xelloss moaned. Zelgadiss knew that he couldn't be very good at this, considering it was his first time giving head, but he did his best anyway. He sucked and licked, taking as much of it into his mouth as he could. Xelloss held the back of Zelgadiss' head and pulled it towards him. Zelgadiss almost gagged, but continued to suck. Then he couldn't take it anymore, and backed away.

Xelloss grinned at him. "Not bad," he said huskily. He then came down on Zelgadiss, returning the favor. Zelgadiss almost screamed at the sensation—he had no idea it would feel this good. And then Xelloss swallowed him, and he almost came. Sensing this, Xelloss withdrew. "No," he said. "I want you to cum with me inside you." Zelgadiss' eyes widened a little at that.

Out of some pocket in his cloak, Xelloss took a small bottle. He put his finger in it, and then, to Zelgadiss' surprise, he lifted Zelgadiss up a little, and gently eased his finger into Zelgadiss' anus. It felt strange, definitely, and it hurt a little, but it felt good too. Xelloss eased another finger inside, stretching him. Then Xelloss hit one spot and it felt _really_ good. "Uun..." Zelgadiss moaned. Xelloss smirked and hit that spot again, then pulled his fingers out, leaving Zelgadiss feeling empty.

"Are you ready?" Xelloss asked.

"Yeah..." Zelgadiss panted. "I'm ready. Fuck me."

And Xelloss did. He plunged into Zelgadiss with one swift stroke, and hit that one spot every single time. Xelloss pumped Zelgadiss with at the same time, and in no time, Zelgadiss came. Spurred on by the tightening around his cock, Xelloss came moments later. He panted and withdrew, then lay beside Zelgadiss.

"God..." Zelgadiss mumbled. He looked over at Xelloss. "Damn, that was good." Then he rolled over and lay on Xelloss' arm.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Xelloss smirked. "I enjoyed it quite a bit, too. Although I suppose maybe I should have moved your cloak..."

"Shit," Zelgadiss said, looking over at it. "Well, I guess I could wash it or something."

"Or not," Xelloss said. "You don't need it anymore, do you? After all, it's not as if you had to wear it for _warmth_."

"I suppose..." Zelgadiss agreed. "Although, I do still look a little odd..."

"So?" Xelloss chuckled. "The ladies seem to like 'a little odd.' Don't you think?"

Zelgadiss smirked. "I guess. But it doesn't really matter what _they_ think..."

Xelloss grinned. "Finally coming around?"

"Maybe."

"Well, we should get dressed," Xelloss said. "I told the carriage to return in approximately another ten minutes."

Zelgadiss' eyes bugged out. "No way. You had it _that_ well planned?"

"Well," Xelloss said, "I figured if I hadn't gotten into your pants by this point, you'd probably punched me in the face and would be wanting to go home."

Zelgadiss laughed. "Haha. I guess so..." He began to get dressed, and Xelloss did the same. Before long the carriage had returned. "So... um... would you like to go back to my place?" he asked.

"Well..." Xelloss sighed. "As much as I'd like to, I must be off. Quite a bit of work to be done."

Zelgadiss's brow furrowed, but he nodded. "I understand. When will I see you next?"

"Hopefully soon," Xelloss responded with a smile. "But unfortunately, it might be a while. Maybe a few weeks. But don't think I've abandoned you." He leaned in and gave Zelgadiss a chaste kiss, holding Zelgadiss's chin in his hands. "I'll be honest with you, Zel-kun. I don't think Mazoku and human love are the same. But I feel as close as I can to loving you, Zel-kun."

Zelgadiss blushed. "I-I don't know if I feel the same way, Xelloss. It's way too soon."

"I know," Xelloss said. "I've been watching you for quite some time, after all." He opened the door to the carriage for Zelgadiss. "Well then. See you in a few weeks. Stay where you are so I can find you."

"Bye." Zelgadiss waved, and the carriage door shut. And Xelloss was gone.

"A few weeks" came and went, and Zelgadiss found himself getting antsy. Where was Xelloss? Maybe he was working on finding Zelgadiss's cure. Xelloss had said that the demon part was the hard part, so maybe he shouldn't be surprised. If Xelloss did find Zelgadiss's cure... would Zelgadiss want to use it? He wasn't sure. A little while ago, he would have been all for it, but if what Xelloss said was true—that his true being was a composition of a brau demon and a human—not to mention that he might only have Xelloss' affections as he was, then maybe not. Or maybe he'd wait just wait. Surely he'd find out that this whole thing really was just a game or a trick...maybe. He hoped it wasn't. But if it was, he could use his cure then, after the game was over. But he found that he really, _really_ hoped it wasn't just a game. The idea of it being some sort of trick really hurt when he thought about it.

So Zelgadiss waited, and he found he wasn't just waiting for his cure to appear: he was anticipating Xelloss' arrival. But weeks passed, and no Xelloss. He found himself missing him. Come on, Zelgadiss, he told himself. Two dates—only one official one. One date and you can't get your mind off of him.

Then one day, he heard a rumor from one of the customers, a merchant's servant passing through. "Yeah," he said, "I heard there's this huge war going on in that area that used to be all closed-off like. Lotsa refugees coming out and stuff. Kinda afraid it's gonna spread out here. Don't know much 'bout it, though. No one really does. A few travelers have ventured in, I hear, and they never come out."

"Really," Zelgadiss responded. After work, he told his boss he had to leave, and the next day he was off. Surely Xelloss could find him if he needed—this was important. What if Lina and the others were in danger?

So he left. He figured the easiest way back would be to find a seaport close to the Desert of Destruction and take a ship up to the land previously inside the barrier. Going by foot the whole way would take way too long. After about a week's worth of traveling, he found a seaport close enough. He soon realized it was one of the same towns they'd been through previously—the one where they'd made a ruckus with magic. He smirked at the memory. Hopefully no one would recognize him.

He was in luck, as quite some time had passed since he had been there last, and he didn't look nearly as monstrous. He found an inn, bought a meal, and sat down to eat, satisfied. He picked up his knife and fork, and—

"It's the angel!" someone poked their head in the door and cried out. "The angel who appeared to use two years ago! She's in the streets!"

"The angel?" Customers began leaving the restaurant en mass as if hypnotized. "Where?"

"Huh..." Zelgadiss mumbled to himself, and began eating. The chances of it actually being Amelia were incredibly slim, he decided, and if it was Amelia, he'd have plenty of chances to catch up with her in the future. He was rather hungry for once, as he hadn't eaten in a while. Apparently the golem third hadn't needed sustenance. The brau demon didn't need to eat much either, but it still had to eat _something_. So he was starving. He savored his prime rib in silence.

"Zel-kun!" cried out a voice. "There you are! I thought I told you to wait in Rinus Town until I got there!"

Zelgadiss started. "Xelloss!" he cried. He smiled and turned to his left, and sure enough, there was Xelloss. "Hey. Sorry, Xelloss, something really important came up."

Xelloss pulled a chair close Zelgadiss' and sat down. "What could possibly have come up?"

"My friends might be in trouble. There's a rumor that a huge war broke out." Zelgadiss peered over at Xelloss. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I didn't think it would be of that much interest to you," Xelloss responded. "Considering you were so close to your cure."

Zelgadiss glared at him. "You _know_ that it would have been important, Xelloss." He sighed. Never mind. No use fighting over it. "Speaking of my cure, any luck finding it?"

"No," Xelloss shook his head. "Not yet."

"Oh well," Zelgadiss shrugged, taking another bite and swallowing it. "You know, you sure took your time getting here."

"Well... I had business, like I said—and then I had to_ find_ you.I got here as soon as I could."

Zelgadiss smiled. "All right. I'm sorry I had to leave." He leaned over and gave Xelloss a chaste kiss on the lips. "But I really had no choice."

"Of course," Xelloss said. "I understand. Friends come first..." He looked a little upset at that. Zelgadiss kind of felt sorry for him. He_ had_ just up and left after Xelloss had told him he loved him.

"Yeah... sorry," Zelgadiss looked away. "But, um, I really have to go look around the city now. I think Amelia's here somewhere." He stood.

"All right." Xelloss stood as well. "Let's go, then."

They left the inn to find a crowd outside. Zelgadiss guessed that if Amelia really was here, she was probably in the middle of it. "Excuse me!" cried a high-pitched voice. "Excuse me!" Was it really? "Has anyone seen this person?"

"She's looking for the demon!" hushed whispers passed through the crowd. "Hey—look! This one looks like him!" All eyes turned towards Zelgadiss. Zelgadiss backed up.

"Uh... Xelloss?" Zelgadiss looked around, but Xelloss was nowhere to be found. Damn it. Typical. Although, after what they'd shared, he figured Xelloss might be a _little_ more willing to stay around. Hands grabbed him and he was shoved forward through the crowd into the center, where... Amelia stood. Of course. "Amelia!"

"Zel-zelgadiss-san?" Amelia blinked. "Is that _you_?" She grinned and hugged him, which made Zelgadiss blush. "It is you! Did you find your cure?"

"Well... not quite, no," Zelgadiss responded. Murmurs passed through the crowd. "Uh... can we get out of here?"

"Of course!" Amelia replied. "I've got a ship in the harbor! Ray wing!" The crowd gasped again. Zelgadiss rolled his eyes, but there was no point in holding back now.

"Ray wing!" Zelgadiss cast, and followed her, leaving a very confused crowd of people behind.

Amelia did indeed have a ship in the harbor, but it had strangely begun to sink. The people on board were rushing out in large numbers. "Oh no!" Amelia cried out. She landed next to the ship. "Is everyone out?" she asked the captain after locating him.

"Yes," the captain replied. "Everyone's fine. But the ship... I don't know what happened. There was just a sudden explosion, and it started to sink."

Zelgadiss' eyes narrowed. No. It couldn't be. Xelloss had said... But it was the easiest explanation for it. "Xelloss..." Zelgadiss mumbled.

"Xelloss-san?!" Amelia cried out. "He's _here?"_

Zelgadiss nodded. "Yeah. I was just talking with him a while ago. Actually, he's the reason why I managed to get rid of my golem part."

Amelia's eyes widened to the size of plates. "Oh _no_. Zelgadiss-san... Xelloss-san..." she swallowed.

"Oh dear, I guess the jig is up," cried a voice. _That_ voice. Zelgadiss looked up to find Xelloss on the sinking ship's mast.

Zelgadiss felt his heart ache. "Xelloss! What did you do?!"

"Ah... well you see, Zelgadiss-san..."

"Xelloss-san's master is keeping Lina-san and Gourry-san hostage—if they're not dead already!" Amelia cried out. "That's why I came to find you! To free them!"

Xelloss leaped from the mast into the crowd of ship crew, who moved out of the way. "Xelloss... you..." Zelgadiss hissed, drawing his sword.

"Now, Zelgadiss-san, you don't _seriously_ intend on fighting me as you are, do you? Not without the extra power that golem part gave you? Why don't we just lay aside our weapons and talk this over for a bit?"

"No!" Zelgadiss hissed, pointing his sword at Xelloss. "You _lied_ to me. You said..." He growled. "I am going to _kill_ you, Xelloss."

Xelloss sighed. His eyes opened and he looked at Zelgadiss. He actually looked kind of hurt... but he was faking it. He had to be faking it. The_ whole time_ he'd just been faking it. "Is that the way it's going to be, then?" he asked.

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadiss cast. But it took him an extra second to cast, as he wasn't used to his current energy yet; Xelloss used that extra second to bat Zelgadiss's sword away. The ship's crew ran as fast as they could, clearing the dock.

"Ra Tilt!" Amelia cast. Xelloss simply teleported out of the way.

"Damn it!" Zelgadiss hissed. When Xelloss reappeared, Zelgadiss let off an Elmekia Lance. Then he leaped for his sword.

Xelloss didn't even bother to dodge. He held his hand out, and the Elmekia Lance disappeared. "We really should just talk this out," Xelloss said.

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadiss cast again, and he charged at Xelloss. Xelloss caught Zelgadiss's sword _with his hand._

"Zel-kun..." Xelloss whispered. "You can't—"

"Don't _call_ me that, bastard!" Zelgadiss struck at Xelloss again, but Zelgadiss was striking wildly in his rage—and emotional pain. _That_ was what Xelloss had wanted, wasn't it? Xelloss dodged easily, then struck Zelgadiss in the stomach with his staff. Zelgadiss fell to the dock.

"Ra Tilt!" Amelia cast once more, and hit. "Yes!" she cried.

Xelloss disappeared and reappeared, up above. "Well, that rather hurt," he commented, but looked mostly unfazed. He shot black balls of energy out of his staff, and Amelia dodged. Xelloss disappeared and reappeared behind Amelia. He hit her in the back of the head. She fell.

Zelgadiss was doubled over in pain. He hadn't felt this much pain in a while; his natural armor had always protected him. And as he looked over, he saw Amelia on the dock, knocked out. "Amelia," Zelgadiss whimpered.

Xelloss walked over to Zelgadiss. Damn it. Zelgadiss struggled to stand, and looked Xelloss in the eye, still holding his stomach.

"Damn you..." Zelgadiss growled. Xelloss didn't move. "Did you really... go through all this trouble _just_ to kill me?"

Xelloss didn't say anything. He just watched Zelgadiss for a moment, then disappeared.

And all the ships in the harbor had mysterious explosions and began to sink.

"Shit," Zelgadiss spat. He sat down on the ground and punched the dock beneath him. He hobbled over to Amelia, who groaned as she regained consciousness.

"Owww..." Amelia said, rubbing the back of her head. But she sat up, and saw the distressed look on Zelgadiss' face. "Oh, Zelgadiss-san!" Amelia cried, "It can't be _that_ bad! We'll figure this out!"

Zelgadiss cursed again. Amelia had no idea.

After a moment, Zelgadiss stood and brushed himself off. He had to get a hold of himself. "Okay, Amelia, it's obvious we can't do anything immediately, so I'm going to go find a room and recover. Will you be all right?"

"Yeah," Amelia nodded. "I'll just get a room too, and cast a healing spell and stuff. I should be fine. I'm going to go get myself the room next to yours. So that if Xelloss attacks, we'll both be able to fight him off together."

Yeah, right, Zelgadiss thought. As if we could take Xelloss, especially after the beating they'd just taken. But instead he said, "We'll get rooms in the same inn, on different floors. All right? If I hear a scream, I'll come rushing to your room."

"But—"

"Look, Amelia," Zelgadiss huffed, "I need some time alone. All right?"

"Fine," Amelia agreed, and they went to find an inn.

Zelgadiss realized he was actually fairly lucky that Amelia decided to come along. No one in town would have been willing to give him a room, not after he'd been declared a demon, but _anyone_ would give Amelia a room, though they still didn't seem to have any clue what was going on. Not that it mattered. Amelia got a room, and Zelgadiss got a room, and Zelgadiss flopped down on his bed to look at the ceiling for an hour.

Xelloss. _Xelloss_. He couldn't get him out of his head. He wanted to _cry_. He never felt like crying, not this much. He'd actually begun to fall for him, hadn't he? _Damn_ it. He'd played right into Xelloss' plans. But why had Xelloss bothered with any of it? And why hadn't Xelloss just killed him? It didn't make sense. He sat up to think. So, Xelloss' master had captured Lina and Gourry. Why, Zelgadiss didn't know. Amelia might, if he'd ask her. Maybe later. Xelloss had been helping him find his cure. To make him weaker? Maybe. That had been what he'd said earlier. Well, no, not exactly: Xelloss had said it would be easier to _destroy_ Zelgadiss if necessary. What did that mean? Was he planning on destroying Zelgadiss? _If necessary_. Maybe that meant that if Zelgadiss found out and interfered, he would have to destroy Zelgadiss. Maybe. But why hadn't he killed Zelgadiss before, when he'd had the chance?

Something else bothered Zelgadiss. Xelloss had been very...eager, that one night they'd had together. Impatient, even. Xelloss was never impatient. He'd said it was because Zelgadiss would die eventually without the brau demon part—at least, that was what he'd _implied_, that might not have been what he meant—but what if it was something else? What if he knew the day would come when he would have to destroy Zelgadiss?

No, that was just wishful thinking. Xelloss had been lying the whole time, he was sure of it.

There was another possibility. Xelloss had been very insistent on Zelgadiss staying in Rinus Town. Maybe he had been intentionally keeping Zelgadiss away for as long as possible. But why, when he could just destroy him? Maybe this was easier.

No, he thought. It would always be easier to just kill him.

But Xelloss didn't do things the easy way, did he. He did things the way that would make _Xelloss_ have the most fun. That was it. For fun. Zelgadiss slammed his hand against the wall, making a little bit of a hole. He cursed. Xelloss had just been playing with him for fun. Oh well, it was his own damned fault. He never should have trusted him.

And now Xelloss was going to come and kill him, probably in his sleep. Xelloss would just have to wait. Zelgadiss had to sleep—Xelloss didn't. Why put it off? He should just try and sleep now. He rolled over on his side and tried to get to sleep.

It didn't work, of course. But he couldn't go about things this way. What would Lina think? "I can't just roll over and die..." she'd said. That's it. He couldn't go out this way. He had to try, even if he knew he was just going to get his ass kicked again. He stood up and walked over to his sword, which was leaning against the wall. He sat down on the bed with his sheathed sword and waited.

And waited some more. The sun had gone down by this point, and the moon was rising outside of his window. Bright and full... that meant a full month had passed since... _that_. He felt anger boiling within him. He couldn't believe he fell for Xelloss' tricks.

"Zel-kun..." he heard. He leaped up and drew his sword, but Xelloss had not manifested himself yet. Just the voice.

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadiss cast. "Show yourself, demon!"

Xelloss appeared, on the other side of the room. His eyes were open. Zelgadiss was about to charge, but the look on Xelloss' face... he couldn't. It was the same look he'd given when he'd told Zelgadiss he loved him. Dammit. He held his sword up and waited for Xelloss to make the first move.

"I'm not here to fight," Xelloss said. He showed his hands to prove this, but then took something out of his cloak. It was a flask. "I found it, Zelgadiss."

"Bastard," Zelgadiss hissed. "Do you think that I'll just—"

"No," Xelloss said. He placed the flask on the dresser beside him. "But I would appreciate it if you listened to me."

Zelgadiss' eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he dispelled the spell on his sword and sat down. "Fine," he said. "But be quick."

"I've never lied," Xelloss said. "I've bent the truth, of course, but I never outright lie." Xelloss paused for a moment, but Zelgadiss didn't say anything, so Xelloss continued. "Everything I've said to you was true, Zel-kun."

"Don't _call_ me that," Zelgadiss hissed.

"Very well," Xelloss said. "Zelgadiss. Listen. I didn't tell you what was going on because if you had become involved, I would have to kill you. I don't want to kill you, Zelgadiss."

Zelgadiss looked away, but said nothing.

"It is true that I had orders to weaken you, since I told my master I did not want to kill you. But everything else that I told you—that I was hoping you'd fall for me for giving you your cure—that is all true."

Silence.

"I guess I don't really have anything else to say to you. But I do love you, as much as I am able. I did not lie to you, Zelgadiss."

Zelgadiss sighed and looked Xelloss in the eye. "But you tried to kill me."

"I was supposed to kill you when you found out," Xelloss admitted. "I could not."

Zelgadiss shook his head. "Against my better judgment, I believe you, Xelloss."

Xelloss walked over to Zelgadiss and sat down. "You know, despite the fact that one month is not a long time for a Mazoku, I find that I really did miss you."

Zelgadiss smirked. "Well I missed you too, Xelloss."

"Good. Can I assume we've made up now?" Xelloss asked, leaning against him.

"Not yet..." Zelgadiss grinned. "We haven't had make-up sex."

Xelloss laughed. "Fine, then. Get down on the bed." He shoved Zelgadiss down and kissed him roughly.

"Mmm..." Zelgadiss replied. This time, their sex was more passionate and less hurried. Zelgadiss found himself coming multiple times, and although Xelloss only came once, he obviously enjoyed it.

Lying in bed next to each other, naked, Zelgadiss spoke. "Um... Xelloss... don't you still have to kill me? Since I've become involved."

"Let's worry about that later," Xelloss said, nuzzling into Zelgadiss' neck. "You can't get out of here for a little while anyway, can you. Unless you want to walk through the desert... and I'm sure I can prevent that somehow, too. I know Amelia can't make it through _that_ desert."

"Why did you do it?" Zelgadiss asked. "Why did you capture Lina and Gourry?"

"They were deemed a threat," Xelloss explained, patting down Zelgadiss' hair. "Lina, with the help of a human army, killed another Dark Lord while you were gone, Dolphin-sama, because Dolphin-sama was terrorizing Dils. Her army was destroyed by my master. To make a long story short, the affair with Lina and Gourry resulted in a war between the Mazoku and a country. It's just Dils and Seiruun. Seiruun couldn't help but get involved. The rumors you heard were probably exaggerated. Other countries are looking on anxiously, but they don't want to become involved. Understandably so."

"I see," Zelgadiss said.

"But don't worry about that part. Either the country will become destroyed, or the Mazoku will retreat. Unless Dils gets another powerful sorcerer, it will probably be destroyed. Then everything can return to normal. It's a bit more complicated than this, but you get the idea." Xelloss walked over to sit beside Zelgadiss, and Zelgadiss let him, shifting aside to allow Xelloss room.

Zelgadiss nodded. "I see. So... I guess the real question is Lina and Gourry. If Lina escapes, then the tide will turn towards Dils... since you only have two Demon Lords left." Zelgadiss paused. "And then I guess that might be worse... because if Dils won and the Demon Lords retreated, what would happen?"

"Well, I actually think that the kingdom of Dils and Seiruun, with the help of Lina and Gourry or another powerful sorcerer, might try to attack our territory. They can't touch Dynast up in the north, but they can get to Wolf Pack Island. They might find a way to get to Dynast... I'm not sure."

"I see... tell me, are Lina and Gourry safe?" Zelgadiss asked.

"Well..." Xelloss said, "They're actually in magical stasis until we can figure out what to do with them. I personally don't want them killed, but Zelas-sama thinks it's the best way to do it. I told her that they'd probably come around eventually, but Zelas-sama doesn't think it's worth the risk. So... I don't know yet."

"I see," Zelgadiss said with a frown. "That's not exactly what I was hoping to hear. At least they're alive."

"For now, yes. And Amelia is determined to save them. And I'll assume you will, too."

Zelgadiss huffed. "Well, yes. Maybe there's some other way to do it..."

Xelloss peered over him. "Just the fact that you plan on trying is _very_ bad for your health, Zelgadiss."

Zelgadiss smirked. "I'm not angry anymore, Xelloss. You can call me Zel-kun if you want."

Xelloss laughed. "Fine then, Zel-kun. So what do you plan on doing?"

"Not sure yet. Isn't there some way to just seal away Lina's powers?"

"Only for a short period of time," Xelloss said, "Unless we attached it to a Mazoku... and then she'd attempt to kill that Mazoku."

"Damn it," Zelgadiss cursed. "Well, didn't you yourself say that Lina wasn't much without her friends?"

"Yes," Xelloss replied, "But we've found that she's also very good with an army behind her back."

Zelgadiss sighed. "Well, geez, maybe _I _can talk to her."

Xelloss grinned. "Maybe you could. That's an interesting idea... why don't we try it?"

"Uh... but..." Too late. Zelgadiss found himself... elsewhere.

He was in a large throne room illuminated by at torches on all the walls. At the front of the throne room was a tall blonde woman smoking a cigarette. She was very pretty, Zelgadiss thought, and then it hit him. He was still naked and sticky. He blushed, covering up his privates with his hands. Shit. But Xelloss was bowing (and clothed, Zelgadiss noted with annoyance), so Zelgadiss bowed as well.

"What have you brought me, Xelloss-kun?" the woman asked—Zelas, of course—and walked towards the pair. She placed a hand under Zelgadiss' chin and lifted his head up. "Is this that chimera you're always talking about? You may stand, mortal. It's not necessary for you to bow before me. You're not under my command." Zelgadiss stood and looked up at the tall woman in front of him, still covering his privates with his hands. She was _incredibly_ pretty... and power was rolling off of her. He blushed. "He _is_ interesting," Zelas noted. "But why bring him here? And you could at least have given him some clothes, Xelloss-kun. He seems very bashful without them."

"Ahh," Xelloss said with a grin, lifting his head, "I figured he could take a joke. In any case, I thought that perhaps Zel-kun here could assist us with our little problem. I think he might be able to talk to Lina-san and Gourry-san and make them change their minds."

"Hm. Very well," Zelas said with a nod. "You may try it." She waved her hands, and Lina and Gourry appeared in front of Zelgadiss and Xelloss, in purple crystals. Zelas snapped her fingers and the crystals disappeared. Gourry and Lina fell to the floor, groaning in pain and confusion.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Zelgadiss said, blushing.

"Gah—get offa me, Gourry!" Lina cried out, and shoved him off. She looked up to find... "Zelgadiss?! What the hell are you doing here?! And..." She blushed and saw that he was naked.

"Xelloss decided it would be fun to play a little_ trick_," he said. Turning to Xelloss, who was obviously enjoying this, he said, "Can I have some clothes, please?"

"Oh, fine," Xelloss said. He disappeared and reappeared with Zelgadiss' pants and shirt. Zelgadiss turned around and put them on. Lina looked away and closed her eyes. Gourry just stared, confused.

"Done yet?"

"Yup," Zelgadiss said, and Lina turned around.

"Hey... it took me a second to notice, since you were naked and all... but you got your cure, didn't you?!" Lina cried out.

"Well, no, not exactly," Zelgadiss said.

"Practically!" Xelloss said, putting an arm around Zelgadiss. Lina scowled at Xelloss. "Hey... Xelloss. Where are we exactly?"

"Why, in Zelas-sama's throne room, of course!" Xelloss grinned.

Lina paled. She turned and saw Zelas, who smiled, and Lina turned back to glare at Xelloss. "And just why the hell are we _here_?!"

"Well, you see..." Xelloss began, "To make a long story short, after you killed Dolphin-sama, Zelas-sama decided you were a threat. So she had to take you into custody."

"Custody... meaning...?" Lina said.

Zelgadiss scowled. "You've been locked in a crystal for a while. I'm here to talk you out of killing any more Demon Lords."

"I see," Lina said. "O...kay... So, then, Zelgadiss, why should I stop killing Demon Lords when they friggin' LOCKED ME AWAY?!" And the yelling began.

"Well," Zelgadiss said, "For one, if you don't stop killing Demon Lords, they'll kill you. Obviously. They'll also kill me and Amelia. What if they just agreed not to hurt you unless you hurt them? They might do that, right, Xelloss?" Zelgadiss turned to Xelloss.

"Hmm...I'm not sure," Xelloss said. "Since, from their point of view, they can just kill the three of you without too much effort, I'm not sure if they'd be willing to make a deal like that. After all, Lina-san and Gourry-san might get in their way at some point. Then they'd want to kill them."

"Uhhh..." Lina said, "Well, damn. Okay."

"L-lina... I'm really confused..." Gourry said. Lina hit him with a slipper she'd snatched from somewhere.

"Never _mind_, Gourry!" Lina cried out. "Okay. So... umm... that's fine. Why don't they just, you know, hide away and never bother me again? Then I'll, well, never have to hurt them!"

Zelgadiss sighed. "You know," he said to Xelloss, "I'm starting to think that their getting captured was their own damned fault."

"Well, yes," Xelloss nodded. "More or less."

Zelas stood and walked over to the group. "Well," she said, "Why don't I just make a pact with you, Lina-san? One that you will be unable to break, and I will be unwilling to break."

"Uhh..." Lina paled again. "Okay...how?"

Zelas smiled. Zelgadiss thought it was kind of creepy. "Well... I'll just make a very _specialized_ seal on your magic. If you use it to attack either myself or Dynast, you will fail. In return, I will promise not to hurt you directly myself. That way, you'll be able to fight back if I or Dynast send a minion against you, but you won't be able to hurt myself or Dynast directly. Sound fair?"

"I guess..." Lina said. There was a kind of a ringing sound. "That it?" Zelas nodded. "Great. Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Okay..." Gourry said. "How?"

Xelloss teleported them all back outside the inn they came from. "Oh," Gourry said. "Well, okay." Lina looked more than a little flustered by the sudden change of scenery.

"Now what?" Zelgadiss said. "Dils and Seiruun are still fighting against the Mazoku."

"Yes," Xelloss agreed, "But Seiruun will withdraw once Amelia-san finds that Lina-san and Gourry-san are safe, and then Dils will either surrender or be destroyed." He turned to Lina. "Lina-san, would you go in and tell Amelia-san what has happened? I believe her room number is 210."

"Uh... sure..." Lina replied, and went in, Gourry following.

Zelgadiss let out a deep breath of air. "Okay. Damn, I'm glad that's all over with," he said. "I just want to get to bed now." Indeed, it was the middle of the night.

"Very well. I've got a few things to clear up... I'll see you in the morning?"

"Great," Zelgadiss said with a smile, and Xelloss disappeared.

Zelgadiss opened the door of his bedroom. Everything was working out. Everything, that is, except for... the flask on his dresser. He picked it up and looked it over. It looked positively toxic and glowing fluorescent green. "Hmm..." He set it back down.

Did he want to be human again, after all that had happened? He wasn't sure anymore. He was now convinced that Xelloss was being genuine, and Zelgadiss was willing to try a full-fledged relationship with him. Which he couldn't really do if he were fully human. And what Xelloss had said about him losing a part of himself... that really had stuck. And no one seemed to care much that he was "half-elf." And finally, he had already seen how much less effective he was in battle without his golem part. If he didn't have his demon part, he'd be even worse. The only question was whether or not he could accept his demon half himself.

He lay down on his bed. He could leave complex decisions for the morning.

When Zelgadiss awoke, Xelloss was not there yet. All right, he decided. He'd left it off for long enough. Would he drink the noxious liquid and be human, or throw it away and accept himself. Which one? He smirked. It had become a lot easier to accept himself as he was with Xelloss in his life. Maybe that had been what he needed all along—someone to tell him that, yes, he was fine how he was. Not that it would be healthy to be dependent upon that. He'd have to watch that.

But yes... for now, at least, he wanted to stay as he was. He'd just ask Xelloss what was in it later, so that he could find his cure for himself if he wanted it in the future. But for now... He walked over to the window and threw it out. The glass hit the grass and shattered, and the liquid hissed as it hit the grass.

A few moments later, Xelloss appeared, smiling. "So I see you've made your choice?"

"Well aren't _you_ happy about it," Zelgadiss said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, yes," Xelloss said. "I am, actually. Very."

Zelgadiss sighed. "I was thinking that I might change my mind in the distant future. So in case I do, what was in it?"

Xelloss grinned. "I... don't think you want to know."

"No, I really do," Zelgadiss replied.

"Hm... all right, but you'll have to promise to forgive me once I tell you," Xelloss said.

Zelgadiss' eyes narrowed. "Tell me now. What was in it?" he stated, slowly and evenly.

Xelloss' grin widened even more. "Now, it's only because I love you, buuut..."

"Well?"

"Poison. Magical poison that would kill even a minor demon. Do you know why?"

Zelgadiss paled. He sat down on the bed, eyes wide and staring at Xelloss. He shook his head.

"Because if anyone tried to hurt _my_ Zel-kun, I'd have to kill them! And killing Zel-kun's demon part would be hurting my Zel-kun. Remember how I said I might not forgive the human part of you for what you did to yourself? Well, I thought it over, and I decided that, no, I would _not_ be able to forgive you. I'm just not a very forgiving person... and what would be left wouldn't be worth it. So, there you have it."

"Great," Zelgadiss rolled his eyes. "What the hell am I getting in to? Tell me, Xelloss, what would happen if I broke up with you?"

Xelloss laughed. "Nothing, Zel-kun. I just might... well, kill one of your lovers once in a while. Not all of them. Just if they hurt you. Because _that_, as I said, is unforgivable."

Zelgadiss shook his head. "This is going to be an unhealthy relationship, isn't it?"

"It's all what you make of it!" Xelloss grinned, teleporting over to Zelgadiss and giving him a kiss on the nose.

"That didn't make any sense at all," Zelgadiss said, glaring at him.

"Oh, shut up and let's have make-up sex again," Xelloss said, pushing Zelgadiss over.

"Fine," Zelgadiss grumbled, but he was secretly very pleased with that idea.


End file.
